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Beginning August 2014, I am integrating my “Words Divinely Wrought” poetic art with my decades of professional experience in journalism, marketing and advertising copywriting, books, cards, and free-lance wordsmithing of every shape, color, tone, hue, and purpose. In other words, the bard is now open for business. The shelves of my literary apothecary are filled with words champing at the bit (Yes, I mean “champing” — not “chomping”) to inspire, motivate, entertain, persuade, inform, enliven, educate, facilitate, articulate, and captivate. […]

Twenty individuals have joined our global poetry-share community so far, and only one of them is a male. That’s why I was particularly delighted to receive an update from Doug in Ontario. His blog, Valley Road Rambler, carries the subhead, “life, love, loss, and a whole lotta soul,” and I guarantee you his truth in advertising is impeccable. Here’s a synopsis; you can read his entire Words Divinely Wrought story right over here. “Mine was one of the first packages […]

Sure, I could tell you how the shifting energies on the planet have taken me down, lifted me up, knocked me around, recalibrated me and flooded my beingness with unfathomable light — but why bother? Those of you who know what I’m talking about, well, you already know what I’m talking about. And those who don’t, can learn more about the subject from myriad sources online or off-planet. Take your choice. It’s happening — whatever you feel “It” is. It’s […]

Looks like I nosed out second-place winner William Haskins and snagged First Place in a contest for “The Inaugural Poem We Should Have Had,” sponsored by absolutewrite.com (see details and links in post directly below). My entry was “Prayer for Inclusion,” which I posted on January 20, 2009 (Inauguration Day), and which can be found listed in the Pages section of the right-hand sidebar — or click right here if you’re short on time or energy. As any writer, artist, […]

Over at absolutewrite.com, discussion regarding the January 20 inaugural poem led to a contest, “the inaugural poem we should have had.” I didn’t take part in the conversation, but I was intrigued by the idea. They’re currently displaying the 15 entries, which anyone can view — and people who register (free) at the site can vote until March 1 via Private Message (PM). I have a poem in the field, but I’m not really trolling for votes. Unless you recognize […]

Even though be whole now is not yet a year old (like me, my blog is a Piscean), the start of this sure-to-be-unforgettable new year is a good time to unearth and recycle some memorable posts from 2008. Here are a few of my favorites, based on a purely non-scientific selection process. 1. I never tire of watching diva India Arie sing the James Taylor classic, The Secret O’ Life. Every word speaks directly to my soul. Maybe yours, too? […]

Now is the time to say Enough! to the marginalization of all who walk the path of beauty and art To the unyielding duress of seeking to balance deep and soulful expression with the strictures of daily existence, Enough! To systems and models that devalue currencies of the heart, imaginings of the soul, visions and dreams fueled by wisdom, experience, and an unquenchable yearning to connect heaven and earth, Enough! To the relentless negation of the unimpeachable sine qua non […]

Forgive me for turning my attention away from the larger issues of the day, but as a writer, I can no longer avert my gaze! Pity the poor apostrophe, who seems doomed to live an existence of misuse, misalignment, misappropriation, and a torturous life of being utterly misunderstood. It’s as though it’s one minute before midnight — and an egg sac the size of the Milky Way has suddenly burst and spewed countless numbers of these once-sparse punctuation marks in […]

No word yet from the NYC agent who requested (and received) the complete manuscript for my first work of literary fiction. In honor of my continuing patience (and said agent’s ongoing health, wealth, and happiness!), here is a piece I wrote back in 1999. Other than a few changes aimed at de-genderization, it appeared in the August issue of The Women’s Times, a monthly newspaper based in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and distributed throughout areas of western Massachusetts, northern Connecticut, eastern […]

Here’s a great link for all you lovers of words, word games, crossword puzzles, and the like. Click here to go to http://www.freerice.com — a website committed to the cause of ending hunger around the world. You get to test your vocab skills, learn new words, and develop more than a modicum of humility while donating rice (grain-by-grain) to the United Nations World Food Program. The game is very smart, quickly adjusting to your level of proficiency and continuing to […]

Short and sweet. The beautiful print, “Red Rose,” is by Anna Flores. See it in a larger version here. the prince walks his path carrying the heart of the queen in his left front pocket when he is certain he cannot go another step he sips gently inhaling roses like some sacred relic of transcendent time

RE: the agony, ecstasy, and lunacy of being published If you think finding an agent and getting published is the end-all-be-all for a writer, wait until you get to marketing and promotion! This painfully funny, sad-but-true book trailer tells it like it is — and will probably do more for HEAD CASE: How I Almost Lost My Mind Trying to Understand My Brain, by Dennis Cass, than even his non-review in The NY Times! If you don’t see the video […]

This is a stretch break that’s bound to inspire the writer, artist, genius, seeker, and lover of writing, words, and books in you. If you’re not able to pop over to London’s magnificent British Library, visit their extraordinary website here. Using your mouse, you can “turn the pages” of the personal notebooks of Mozart, William Blake, Leonardo DaVinci, and more (complete with audio explanations, selections read aloud, musical snippets, sketches, etc.) A selection of sacred texts from a variety of […]

As someone who has always danced with words, I frequently face this conundrum (BTW, one of the greatest words ever, no? ): In one way, words mean everything to me; from another vantage point, they increasingly mean nothing at all. In my reality, every letter, every sound, each phrase, each word, is a living organism. They breathe, vibrate, sing, dance, live, die and are reborn. They inhabit some vast otherwordly universe, awaiting deployment. Some bide their time patiently — others […]

Big Grey Dog: All Bark, No Bite If you’re still wondering whether (and how) I manifested my way back to Colorado from Utah, be advised: Once I let go of any preconceived notion of what my ride might look like (comfy car, scintillating conversationalist, awesome music and clever repartee), Planet Greyhound made its way onto my radar screen. So, after a hastily arranged, wild midnight ride to the bus stop (Life is good when you have friends who will leave […]

This post is about the creative process — or at least it started out that way. If you have ever (1) solved a problem, (2) made something out of nothing, (3) improved or adapted a process, (4) improvised, or (5) pondered the what if, why, or why not of a situation… … this means you. Doesn’t matter if you call it beekeeping, art, writing, flyfishing, music, leatherwork, risk management, healing, entrepreneurship, parenting, or activism. Ultimately, it’s all poetry. Doesn’t matter […]

The past three days have been decidedly desolate. My computer, Mackenzie, obviously read with great interest my post of March 26, in which I invited you, beloved reader, to meet Rancher Ed Sly, and also proffered a not-so-subtle invitation to gather up the fragmented pieces of yourself and be whole now (blog title, see above), all the while shaking your bootie to the fractured Three Dog Night lyrics, “Integrate! Integrate! Dance to the music.” Profoundly inspired, Mackenzie immediately signed on […]

Christian Marcus Lyons has a very thoughtful post here entitled The War Within. He raises the age-old dilemma facing writers (and, in fact, every creative being, which includes just about everybody!): How to immerse oneself fully and joyously in the creative zone, while also holding down a job to cover the essentials of earthly living?

My world as a writer turned upside down today. I visited one of the last remaining independent bookstores in the English-speaking world, to do what writers do in between digging out tiny slivers of chocolate from beneath the space bar on their computer keyboards and sharpening pencils just in case a young person shows up at the door and politely asks, “Excuse me, could you show me what is a pencil?” That, of course, is to visit the bookstore and […]

Another wrap-up of interesting numbers from this week: 12,000 words represented by these 12 photos from Reuters — their pick of the best of the week worldwide. If you turn up the volume, you also hear a brief note on what makes the images particularly notable. The whole world at your fingertips! 12 days to go under the influence of the March 21 full moon. Robert Wilkinson’s ginormous astrology website counsels: “…Re-shape your expectations and beliefs as you get a […]

Kudos to the brave souls who stepped up for their personalized automotivology readings! You can drive yourself over here to eavesdrop and also to submit your own request. The oracle remains on duty 7 days a week. It only seems fair at this point to ‘fess up to my current automotive issues. They involve the planet Saturn (twice); Senator Ron Paul; five singing, joking and jiving nuns; innumerable miracles; and a Dodge Charger. Are you with me so far? Good. […]

This blog is a tad over a week old, so let’s have soup! Herewith, some bits of this and pieces of that: 609 Pageviews on this blog in its first week. It could be that I paid one person to click and click for days, but I’m so much more optimistic (and frugal) than that. Thanks for your out-of-the-starting-gate support, and keep on visiting! 93 Comments (and counting) snagged when San Francisco literary agent Nathan Bransford posed the question, “How […]

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“…in defiance of self- consciousness…big, bold, and outright.”

"(Rachel) practices a doctrine of fearlessness. A self-taught poet, she is mesmerized by the way words seem to take on a life of their own (and) ...she strives to “be the instrument” for expression. Her willingness to acknowledge and to submit to the power of language comes across in the litany-like form of her long, intentionally inspirational poems, in the way she returns to such phrases as “Forgive me” (“Prayer for Radical Forgiveness”), “It’s that easy,” or “I will” (“Vow for the Unbound”). Written in defiance of self-consciousness, Snyder’s prayerful poems were big, bold, and outright. " Anne Lovering Rounds for Bryant Park Blog

since march 2008

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“…daily pause for reflection…”

"I've stumbled on your site, with delight. Rarely do works resonate with me, and when they do, they DO! :) I absolutely love your writings and have posted a few in my house. They honestly seem to mirror much of my own growth and give me daily pause for reflection in the areas I need working on, the most."
Cyma Shapiro ~ Mothering in the Middle/Midlife Mothers

“…transcendent…heartfelt…powerful…”

"Rachel's poetry is transcendent, and her performance at Bryant Park in NY was heartfelt and powerful. She really engaged the audience. In fact, I was so riveted, that I forgot to take any photos of the event, as I had planned!"
J.C., Harlem NY

“…deserving of a larger stage to perform her magic.”

"(Rachel's) poetry celebrates love, compassion and positive self-examination. She joyfully shares the many lessons she has learned from leading a fascinating and unorthodox life... This listener walked away from her Bryant Park (NYC) reading spiritually re-charged and grateful. Rachel is deserving of a larger stage to perform her magic. " G.S., NY NY